Apapratus for electric oxidizing of atmospheric nitrogen.



No. 887,476. Q PATEirTED-M Y 1 2, 1908. D. HELBIG.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC OXIDIZING 0P ATMOSPHERIC mmoes n' APPLICATION FILED JAN-5, 1906. v

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- wi s/i I No. 887,476. PATENTBD MAY 12, 1908. I I D. HELBIG. APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC ()XIDIZING 0F ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1906.

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DEMETRIO HEL'BIG, or ROME, ITALY.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC oxrmz'ine OF ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN.

No. sear/e.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 5, 1906-. Serial No 294,678.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEMETRIO HELBIG, professor of electrochemistry at the University of Rome, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Rome, Italy, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for ElectricOxidizing of Atmospherical Nitrogen, of which the following is a specification.

, My present invention has for its object an apparatus in which nitrogen is combined 'With' oxygen by means of electric flames or respectively closely surround the flame.

by forming a lining which causes the gases to pass through it in their totality. The gases containing the formed oxids of 'nitrogen'leave the flame in a very hot condition; this heat in my apparatus instead of being lost is recovered and given back to the fresh gases which are being 'led to the flame, 35'

by means of an arrangement of reversed current thermlcal Interchange. The same 1on- 1z1ng material surrounding the flame articlates of the interchange, a suflicient y thin ayer of it bein beaten on.one face by the fresh gases whi eon the other face it 1s exposed to the electric flame and to the hot gases which have passed through it. The gases thereby enter the flame in a previously heated condition whereby the amount of electrical energy required for heating them up to the temperature of the flame is considerably diminished. r

Thc electrodes may be made of any suitable conductive material. If they are metallic I prevent the melting down or volatilizing of their points by means of a cooling arran ement. r

' To urther increase the ionizing effect I surround the points of electrodes with alining made of one of the above said ionizing materials, which leaves only the utmost end of 1 the electrodes uncovered, thereby obtaining r mmed May 12, mos.

a further diminution of the tension necessary for maintaining the flame. I

In the apparatus shown in the drawings accompanying and forming apart of this specification, Figure l is a partly vertical cross sectional view of a form of apparatus embodying m y resent improvements and taken, where s own as sectional, in about the line L. M. of Fig. 3. Fig 2 is avertioal longitudinal sectional view thereof on-line A'. B. of Fig. '1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional View thereof on line C. D. of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates a form of electrode; and Fig. 5 illustrates another fo rm of electrode with'covered point. l

A lurality of flames obtained under the condltions above set forth may be employed inpractice. Each of these flames is maintained between the electrodes p. The flameis surrounded by the walls of chamber y provided in block as made of ionizing material (f. i. magnesium oxid) into which ohamber the electrodes penetrate as far as the passage.

11 At .a certain distance from the electrodes in' passage 1] a row .2 of small pieces of ionizing material is placed. The solid oint o of electrodes 1), if metallic, is secure on a metallic tube pervaded by aliquid current: the cooling produced by the latter keeps points 1) be ow the fusion temperature. Point p,

Fig. 5 is provided with a coating m of ioniz-v ing material. As an extension of block at a long Ipiece d of fireproof material is provided whic has passing through its length a passageway yextending from the chamber y.

In the same pieces, passages Ware provided of which passages r of block 00 form extensions. At the free end of each of the passages 'y a radiator b is secured, from which leads an outlet tube 0. a

The apparatus may be formed by the suerp'osition of a number (three in the present illustration) of the described elements and inclosed in a casing of iron sheet provided with inlet tubes a for the admission ,of the gas mixture to be treated, insulated stufling' oxes h for the passage of the electrodes, and small mica windows 8 for inspecting the flames.

Each of the flames is started like an ordinary-arc by moving the electrodes into contact with each other and then away from each other until the flame fills the whole section of the chamber y contained between their points. The gas mixture to be treated is then admitted through tubes a, then by passages r and 1* enter chamber y where the are submitted to the flame, flow throug passages y and through the body of radiator b and .then discharged through outlet tube e which leads them to some point of storage or of utilization.

Under the action of the gas flow the flame is arc-like and is deflected so as to be caused to beat the pieces of ionizing material 2, heating these; as soon as these pieces of ionizing material are heated to a red color the conductivity of the gases in the roximity of theflame is increased and the ame rendered absolutely steady.

,When passing through the chamber y and the passage y the hot gases give up a large amount of their heat, carried away from the flame, to the material constituting the walls of said chamber and passa e. This heat transmitted through the wal s is communig cated to the fresh gases passing through passages and r and in flowing to the entrance of the chamber y the radiator b completes the thermical interchange. r

It is obvious that the shown superposition of several flames obtained under the above said conditions allows of better recovering the heat than is obtained by a single flame.

Having now fully described the nature of my said'invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that What I claim is 1. The combination with a chamber having a wall surface of ionizing material and a gas entrance and a gas exhaust, of electrodes .at opposite sides of said chamber and located adjacent to the walls thereof for pro ducing an electric arc across the same.

2. The combination with a chamber having a lining comprised of magnesium oxid, and havin a gas entrance and a gas exhaust, of e ectrodes of magnesium oxid dis posed upon opposite sides of the chamber.

3. The combination with a chamber having a lining comprised of ma nesium oxid and a gas entrance and a gas ex aust, of electrodes of magnesium oxid upon opposite sides of the chamber, and bodies of magnesium oxid situated between the plane of the electrodes and the exhaust.

4. The combination with a body of magnesium oxid having a gas passage, of means for producing an electric are through said passage. a

5. The combination with a body of magnesium oxid having a gas passage, of means for producing an electric arc through said passage, and a block of magnesium oxid adjacent to said are producing means and in v with ionizing material.

position to receive the arc-flame when this is deflected by the gas current in its flow through-said passage.

6. The combination with a gas passage having walls of ionizing material, of means for roducing an electric are from one side to tide other of said passage and embodying electrodes and ionizing material partly surrounding the electrodes.

7. The combination with a gas passage hav ng walls of ionizing material, of means for conducting the gas from said other passages to the passages traversed by said arc.

9. In a device of the character, specified, theccombination with a block of magnesium oxid provided with two series of gas passages, ofelectrodes extending into the passages of one series, each of said electrodes embodying conductive material associated with ionizing material, a block of fireproof material provided with passages registering with the passages in said magnesium oxid block, tubes connected with the passages provided with the electrodes for carrying away the product of the apparatus, radiation plates secured to said tubes, a casing surrounding said radiation: plates and in communication with the other of said series of passages, means of communication between the passages of one series and the passages of' the other series, and means for admitting the gas for treatment into said casing.

10. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a body having a series of chambers lined with ionizing material, of means for producing an electric arc through each of said chambers, and said body also having a series of passages communicating with a source of supply and with said chambers, the walls of said-passages being adjacent to the walls of said chambers and lined In witness whereof I have hereunto set'my signature in the presence of two witnesses. DEMETRIO HELBIG.

Witnesses: Pro RINALDINI,

A. RAZZI. 

